National Guidelines on Education for Sustainable Consumption for Tanzania
UNITED REPUBLIC OF TANZANIA
This publication is part of the UNEP pilot project on the institutional strengthening of Education for Sustainable Consumption (ESC) – Advancing ESC Policy and Implementation Strategies in Tanzania (2011-2014).
This publication is an adaptation of the United Nations Environment Programme publication entitled Here and Now! Education for Sustainable Consumption - Recommendations and Guidelines
© National Environment Management Council (NEMC) in partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
The content of this publication is the sole responsibility of the National Environment Management Council.
Any reproductions in full or in part of this publication must mention the title and credit the publisher as the copyright owner.
Published in February 2015 Dar-es-salaam, Tanzania
Printing: UNON, Publishing Services Section, Nairobi, ISO 14001:2004-certified DI No: 15-00524 /1060 copies/po/jw
National Guidelines on
Education for Sustainable
Consumption for Tanzania
This publication, National Guidelines on Education for Sustainable Consumption for Tanzania, is a contribution to:
The Tanzania National Action Plan on Sustainable Consumption and Production
As an important step towards sustainable development, Tanzania developed its National Action Plan on SCP (2008-2017), which is based on the National Strategy for Growth and Poverty Reduction popularly known as MKUKUTA. Tanzania’s National Action Plan focuses on five priorities: energy efficiency, water and sanitation, habitat and urban sustainable development, industrial development, together with Education for Sustainable Consumption and Production as a crosscutting area.
The 10-Year Framework of Programmes on Sustainable Consumption and Production (10YFP) is a concrete and operational outcome of Rio+20. The 10YFP is a global framework that enhances international cooperation to accelerate the shift towards SCP in both developed and developing countries. It provides capacity building, technical and financial assistance to developing countries, and encourages innovation and cooperation among all countries and stakeholders. Six programmes are being developed and implemented under the 10YFP, including one programme on Sustainable Lifestyles and Education launched in 2014. UNEP serves as the Secretariat of the 10YFP.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The successful preparation of the National Guidelines on Education for Sustainable Consumption for Tanzania is the product of hard work and commitment by various stakeholders whose contribution and support is highly appreciated.
This publication is part of the UNEP pilot project on institutional strengthening of Education for Sustainable Consumption (ESC) – Advancing ESC policy and implementation strategies; a pilot project implemented in Chile, Indonesia and Tanzania (2011-14). This project is implemented by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Division of Technology, Industry and Economics (DTIE), in collaboration with the UNEP Regional Office for Africa, with the financial support of the Italian Ministry for the Environment, Land and Sea. This project was developed in the framework of the Marrakech Task Force on Education for Sustainable Consumption (led by Italy) and as a contribution to the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (UNDESD, 2005-2014). It was implemented in close cooperation with key partners such as the Partnership for Education and Research about Responsible Living (PERL) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
Special thanks go to the Government of Tanzania’s Ministries, Departments and Agencies who facilitated the whole process of producing the national
guidelines document, including playing the role of coordination, supporting the pilot trainings, reviewing and providing comments that resulted into the
publication of this useful document. These include the National Environment Management Council (NEMC)
—the national implementing partner of this project that coordinated the development of the guidelines;
The Ministry of Education and Vocational Training
(MoEVT) including its Teacher Education and School Inspectorate departments, diversity unit, primary and secondary education units as well as the Tanzania Institute of Education, these played a key role in piloting the training and testing of the guidelines;
Prime Minister’s Office Regional Administration and Local Government which facilitated the process of linking with the various levels of the Local Government Education units to identify the right pilot areas and schools.
I also acknowledge UNEP DTIE as well as UNEP’s Regional Office for Africa in collaboration with the UN Delivering as One framework in Tanzania, through the UN Development Assistance Plan (UNDAP), for providing technical guidance and financial support in the preparation, finalization and testing of the guidelines.
It is our sincere hope that these guidelines on ESC will stimulate debates and influence changes in behaviour, creating awareness in the society while enhancing friendly sustainable practices.
Eng. Bonaventure Baya Director General
National Environment Management Council
EDITORIAL AND PRODUCTION TEAM
Author
National Environment Management Council (NEMC) Technical, Coordination and Support Team
Ministry of Education and Vocational Training (MoEVT)
• Christian Kibanga
• Elia Kibga
• Angelina Mpandiko
• Robert Rwikolela
Morogoro Teachers’ Training College
• Lydia Kimaryo
• Marietha Kavishe Urio
National Environment Management Council (NEMC)
• Vedast Makota
• Carlos Mbuta
• Joyce Omolo
Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs)
• Bernard E. Kihiyo, Tanzania Consumer Advocacy Society (TCAS)
• Euphrasia Shayo, Envirocare Tanzania Tanzania Institute of Education (TIE)
• Aisha Ghuhiya
• Kizito Innocent Lawa
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
• Clara Makenya, UNEP Regional Office for Africa
• Khairoon Abbas, Consultant, Sustainable Lifestyles, Cities and Industry Branch, UNEP Division of Technology, Industry and Economics (UNEP DTIE)
Vice- President’s Office (VPO)
• Martha Ngalowera
• Daniel Sagata Strategic Advisory Team
• Bonaventure Baya, National Environment Management Council
• Garrette Clark, Sustainable Lifestyles, Cities and Industry Branch, UNEP DTIE
• Fanny Demassieux, Sustainable Lifestyles, Cities and Industry Branch, UNEP DTIE
• Patrick Mwesigye, UNEP Regional Office for Africa
• Fabienne Pierre, Secretariat of the 10-Year Framework of Programmes on Sustainable Consumption and Production (10YFP on SCP)
• Victoria Thoresen, Partnership for Education and Research about Responsible Living Design and Layout
Regalia Media Consult Ltd
PREFACE
As individuals, being unaware of our environmental obligations does not relieve us from the liability and conservation roles. In this regard, education and training is crucial for the current and future generation to actively participate in the shift towards sustainable consumption. The time has come to adopt more sustainable ways of living that are in harmony with our communities and nature. Sustainable consumption offers countless opportunities for our country, including the ability to “leapfrog” straight onto a resource-efficient sustainable development path.
The world is facing numerous environmental
problems and challenges, ranging from environmental degradation, climate change and trans-boundary pollution many of which are driven by increasing population and consumption patterns, and poverty, particularly in developing countries. These problems and challenges are some of the main factors that contribute to the need for urgent application of sustainable consumption patterns. The National Environment Management Council (NEMC) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), in close collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training (MoEVT), have developed national guidelines on education for sustainable consumption (ESC) as part of a pilot project on the Institutional Strengthening of ESC — Advancing ESC Policy and Implementation Strategies. This UNEP pilot project on ESC has been implemented globally as a pilot in Chile, Indonesia and Tanzania between 2011 and 2014.
The objectives of these guidelines are to:
• Enable Tanzania to better understand the principles of ESC;
• Assist in strengthening ESC techniques and teaching methods that incorporate sustainable consumption and lifestyle choices; and
• Promote and encourage ESC based on existing pedagogical techniques.
These guidelines highlight the philosophy of ESC based on pedagogical techniques, which are
participatory, inclusive, contextualized and flexible.
The technique deviates from traditional teaching techniques and suggests engaging learners where experience, reflection, critical analysis, tolerance, cooperation, compassion and respect are highly encouraged. These guidelines aim to contribute to shaping Tanzania’s basic education system into one that promotes attitudes and behaviour that are geared towards a culture of sustainability.
These ESC guidelines have been developed based on the importance, critical contexts and necessity of enhancing education system as a backbone of consumer education, civic training and responsibilities and environmental education for better resource use, management and conservation. The guidelines highlight modalities of achieving ESC in Tanzania by focusing on research areas and optimizing the opportunities that benefit the country. Also, it identifies the current ESC topics and gaps in basic education systems for changing consumption and lifestyles and recommends approaches for overcoming the gaps and maximizing the opportunities.
The guidelines incorporate approaches in enhancing ESC among policy-makers, teachers, teacher
educators, civil society organizations and the general public. The emphasis is on identifying the approaches of incorporating ESC in education systems and communities lifestyles. The guidelines also highlight the approaches and practical methodologies of integrating ESC in teaching learning and community activities relevant to sustainable consumption in the country. Particular emphasis is on values, knowledge, skills, relations and friendly practices that enhance changing lifestyles towards sustainable consumption.
The guidelines point out the roles of all key players in informal, non-formal education and formal education institutions in enhancing collective decision-making focusing on the past, present and future in resources management, consumption and conservations. The informal and non-formal institutions in this regard
include non-governmental organizations, community based organizations, the media, private sector, faith- based organizations and community conservation and production groups.
These guidelines ensure Tanzania’s commitment towards sustainability as it assists in establishing lifestyles necessary for a sustainable society, which demand an understanding of sustainable consumption. It is our sincere hope that these guidelines will auger well in Tanzania’s education systems by helping to provide quality education and
foster our capabilities in learning to know, learning to be, learning to live together, learning to do and learning to transform oneself and society towards sustainable human development.
Prof. Eustella P. Bhalalusesa Commissioner of Education
Ministry of Education and Vocational Training, Tanzania
FOREWORD
Tanzania is one of Africa’s most youthful countries;
63 per cent of Tanzanians are under the age of 25.
These young people have the potential to be a great impetus for development, provided they are equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge.
Education and training are transformative tools, which can empower individuals to live responsibly. Young people, among other learners, must comprehend the relationship between consumption and its impacts on the environment and society; it is this knowledge that will allow them to become socially and environmentally responsible individuals who can pave the way for Tanzania’s resource- efficient sustainable development path.
Tanzania’s population of almost 45 million in 2012, already about twice that of 1988, is projected to double within the next 26 years, coupled with increasing urbanization. In some places, up to 80 per cent of urban residents live in overcrowded settlements that lack clean water and adequate sanitation. Sustainable consumption can help address such challenges, including urban poverty and rising inequality, as it calls for doing more with less, being more efficient and better informed, while creating opportunities to meet the basic needs for all. Education for sustainable consumption (ESC) is essential as it allows learners to understand the environmental and social impacts of their choices, while empowering them to choose responsible lifestyles and participate in and stimulate the public debate about values, quality of life, responsibility and accountability. ESC — a core component of education for sustainable development – provides knowledge, values and skills and competencies that enable individuals to become actors of change towards more sustainable consumption behaviours.
The publication National Guidelines on Education for Sustainable Consumption (ESC) for Tanzania aims to guide Tanzanian policymakers and educators in implementing, advancing and mainstreaming ESC nationally and locally in education sectors.
The guidelines equip educators, teacher educators and education practitioners in formal and informal education, with the necessary information and teaching techniques that can bring about widespread behavioural change needed to shift towards more sustainable consumption habits and lifestyles. The guidelines call for a reorientation of the education system in a way that will empower learners to develop and fulfill alternative visions of a sustainable future.
This publication, which is part of a pilot project implemented by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), is a valuable contribution to the United Nations Decade on Education for Sustainable Development (2005-2014). These guidelines were developed by the National Environment Management Council, in close collaboration the key national partners, including Tanzania’s Ministry of Education and Vocational Training. Tanzania is the first African country to develop such guidelines on ESC, taking a lead role in showcasing what can be done to address sustainable consumption and production and environmental issues through education.
It is hoped that this publication will contribute to a greater understanding of ESC and its role in developing a sustainable, equitable and thriving Tanzania that can tackle development
challenges.
Eng. Bonaventure Baya Director General,
National Environment Mnagement Council
Prof. Sifuni Mchome Permanent Secretary
Ministry of Education and Vocational Training, Tanzania
Mr. Jumanne A. Sagini
Permanent Secretary Prime Minister’s Office Regional Admnistration and Local
Government (PMO-RALG)
Ms. Ligia Noronha Director,
UNEP’s Division of Technology, Industry and Economics
Mr. Sazi Salula Permanent Secretary Vice President’s Office, Tanzania
ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS
COBET Complimentary Basic Education in Tanzania
CBO Community-based organization
CPCT Cleaner Production Centre of Tanzania CSO Civil society organization
DTIE Division of Technology, Industry and Economics
EE Environmental Education
ESD Education for Sustainable Development ESC Education for Sustainable Consumption EWURA Energy Water Utilities Regulatory Authority HEAC Higher Education Accreditation Council
HIV/AIDS Human Immunodefiency Virus/Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome ICT Information and Communication Technology
IEEP International Environmental Education Programme ISO International Organization for Standardization JPOI Johannesburg Plan of Implementation
KWL Know — Want to Know — Learned
MoEVT Ministry of Education and Vocational Training
MTs Master Trainers
NACTE National Council for Technical Education NECTA National Examination Council of Tanzania NEMC National Environment Management Council NGO Non-governmental organization
NTs National Trainers
PERL Partnership for Education and Research about Responsible Living
SC Sustainable Consumption
SD Sustainable Development
SCP Sustainable Consumption and Production TBS Tanzania Bureau of Standards
TC Teachers’ College
TCAS Tanzania Consumer Advocacy Society TEP Teachers Educators Programme TFDA Tanzania Food and Drug Authority TIE Tanzania Institute of Education ToTs Training of Trainers
TPS Think Pair Share
UN United Nations
UNCED United Nations Conference on Environment and Development UNDAP United Nations Development Assistance Plan
UNDP United Nations Development Programme
UNDESD United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development UNEP United Nations Environment Programme
UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization VETA Vocational Education and Training Authority
WCST Wildlife Conservation Society of Tanzania WSSD World Summit on Sustainable Development
10YFP 10-Year Framework of Programmes on Sustainable Consumption and Production
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Acknowledgements 3
dŝtoƌŝĂl Ănd WƌodƵcƟon deĂm ϰ
Preface 5
Foreword 7
AďďreǀŝaƟons and AcronLJms ϵ
ϭ͘Ϭ /ŶƚƌŽĚƵĐƟŽŶ ϭϯ
ϭ͘ϭ ^eƫng tŚe contedžt ϭ3
ϭ͘Ϯ dŚe oďũecƟǀes of tŚe naƟonal gƵŝdelŝnes on ^ ϭϰ
ϭ͘3 dŚe deǀeloƉment of tŚe naƟonal gƵŝdelŝnes on ^ ϭϰ
ϭ͘ϰ hnderstandŝng sƵstaŝnaďle consƵmƉƟon and ƉrodƵcƟon and ^ ϭ5
ϭ͘5 dŚe cŚallenges of ŝntrodƵcŝng ^ ŝn dannjanŝa ϭϲ
ϭ͘ϲ dannjanŝa͛s EaƟonal AcƟon PlanͬProgramme on ^Ƶstaŝnaďle onsƵmƉƟon and ProdƵcƟon ϭ7
ϭ͘7 dƵcaƟon for ^P ŝn dannjanŝa ϭϴ
Ϯ͘Ϭ ŽŶƚĞdžƚƵĂůŝnjŝŶŐĚƵĐĂƟŽŶĨŽƌ^ƵƐƚĂŝŶĂďůĞŽŶƐƵŵƉƟŽŶ;^Ϳ ϭϵ
Ϯ͘ϭ ^ toƉŝcs͕ ŝssƵes͕ learnŝng oƵtcomes and comƉetencŝes ϭϵ
Ϯ͘Ϯ dŚe ďackďone of ^͗ enǀŝronmental edƵcaƟon and consƵmer edƵcaƟon ϮϮ
Ϯ͘3 ^ orŝgŝns and aŝms Ϯ3
Ϯ͘ϰ dŚe ŝmƉortance of ^ ŝn comďaƫng ƉoǀertLJ ŝn deǀeloƉŝng coƵntrŝes Ϯϰ Ϯ͘5 dŚe ŝmƉortance of deǀeloƉŝng and ŝmƉlemenƟng ^ ŝn dannjanŝa Ϯϰ Ϯ͘ϲ dŚe Ɖresent sŝtƵaƟon of ^ ŝn dannjanŝa͛s ďasŝc edƵcaƟon sLJstems Ϯ5
Ϯ͘7 dŚe cŚallenges facŝng ^ ŝmƉlementaƟon ŝn dannjanŝa Ϯϲ
ϯ͘Ϭ ĐŚŝĞǀŝŶŐ^ŝŶdĂŶnjĂŶŝĂ͗ƚŚĞďĂƐŝĐƐ Ϯϳ
3͘ϭ ZesearcŚŝng sƵstaŝnaďle lŝfestLJles Ϯ7
3͘Ϯ KƉƟmŝnjŝng ^ oƉƉortƵnŝƟes͗ learnŝng from edžƉerŝence Ϯϴ
ϰ͘Ϭ /ŶĐŽƌƉŽƌĂƟŶŐ^ŝŶƚŽdĂŶnjĂŶŝĂ͛ƐĞĚƵĐĂƟŽŶƐLJƐƚĞŵ Ϯϵ
ϰ͘ϭ /denƟfLJŝng releǀant gaƉs ŝn edžŝsƟng ďasŝc edƵcaƟon cƵrrŝcƵla Ϯϵ
ϰ͘Ϯ /ncorƉoraƟng ^ ŝn tŚe cƵrrŝcƵlƵm ďased on ŝdenƟĮed gaƉs 3ϭ
ϰ͘3 ngagŝng teacŚers and teacŚer traŝners ŝn draŝnŝng of draŝners ;dodsͿ 3ϭ
ϰ͘ϰ /mƉlemenƟng ^ ŝn dannjanŝa͗ tŚe ƉroƉosed aƉƉroacŚes 3Ϯ
ϰ͘5 AƉƉroacŚ ϭ͗ /ntegraƟng ^ toƉŝcs and ŝssƵes ŝnto edžŝsƟng sƵďũects͗ ^ teacŚŝng metŚodologŝes to ďe aƉƉlŝed 33
ϰ͘ϲ AƉƉroacŚ Ϯ͗ /ntegraƟng ^ ŝnto edžtraͲcƵrrŝcƵlar acƟǀŝƟes ϰϬ
ϰ͘7 /denƟfLJŝng keLJ actors ŝn ^ ŝmƉlementaƟon ŝn formal edƵcaƟon ϰ7
ϱ͘Ϭ /ŵƉůĞŵĞŶƟŶŐ^ŝŶŶŽŶͲĨŽƌŵĂůĂŶĚŝŶĨŽƌŵĂůĞĚƵĐĂƟŽŶ ϰϵ
5͘ϭ dŚe role of nonͲformal and ŝnformaƟon edƵcaƟon ŝn ^ ϰϵ
5͘Ϯ /denƟfLJŝng keLJ actors ŝn ^ ŝmƉlementaƟon ŝn nonͲformal and ŝnformal edƵcaƟon ϲϭ
ϲ͘Ϭ͘ DŽŶŝƚŽƌŝŶŐĂŶĚĞǀĂůƵĂƟŽŶŽĨ^ ϱϯ
ϲ͘ϭ eǀeloƉŝng a monŝtorŝng and eǀalƵaƟon scŚeme for ^ 53
ϲ͘Ϯ ^elfͲmonŝtorŝng and selfͲeǀalƵaƟon for ^ 55
ϲ͘3 džŝsƟng ŝnsƟtƵƟonal frameworks tŚat can ďe aƉƉlŝed to ^ monŝtorŝng and eǀalƵaƟon 55 ϳ͘Ϭ͘ dĞƐƟŶŐŽĨƚŚĞ^ŐƵŝĚĞůŝŶĞƐ͕ůĞƐƐŽŶƐůĞĂƌŶĞĚĂŶĚƉƌŽƉŽƐĞĚǁĂLJĨŽƌǁĂƌĚ ϱϳ
7͘ϭ desƟng of tŚe ^ gƵŝdelŝnes͗ traŝnŝngs ŝn dannjanŝa 57
7͘Ϯ džƉerŝence sŚarŝng͗ Śallenges and lessons learned from tŚe ^ traŝnŝngs 57 7͘3 ProƉosed waLJ forward from tŚe edžƉerŝence sŚarŝng meeƟng on tŚe Ɖŝlot ^ traŝnŝngs 5ϵ 7͘ϰ ProƉosed waLJ forward ďLJ tŚe ^ task force memďers on sƉecŝĮc strƵctƵres and aǀenƵes for ^ dŝssemŝnaƟon 5ϵ 7͘5 ^trengtŚenŝng ^ ŝmƉlementaƟon tŚroƵgŚ tŚe gloďal ϭϬͲzear Framework of Programmes ;ϭϬzFPͿ on ^P ϲϭ
ZĞĨĞƌĞŶĐĞƐ ϲϯ
ŶŶĞdžĞƐ ϲϳ
Annedž ϭ͗ /denƟfLJŝng areas wŚere ^ tŚemes and toƉŝcscan ďe ŝntegrated wŝtŚŝn ^ ŝn dannjanŝa͛s edƵcaƟon sLJstem ϲ7 Annedž Ϯ͗ ^ƉecŝĮc gƵŝdance and edžamƉles of Śow ^ can ďe ŝntegrated ŝnto ǀarŝoƵs sƵďũects 7Ϭ Annedž 3͗ džamƉles of sƉecŝĮc toƉŝcs ŝn tŚe edžŝsƟng ƉrŝmarLJ edƵcaƟoncƵrrŝcƵlƵm tŚat can ďe Ƶsed to ŝntegrate ^ 7Ϯ
INTRODUCTION
ΞZegalŝa Dedŝa onsƵlt
1.1 Setting the context
The United Nations (UN) declared 2005-2014 as the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (UNDESD). The Decade represents an international recognition of education as an indispensable element for achieving sustainable development.
The National Guidelines on Education for Sustainable Consumption (ESC) for Tanzania is one of the outputs of the pilot project on institutional strengthening of ESC and lifestyles, developed in the framework of the International Marrakech Task Force on ESC (led by Italy) and a contribution to the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (UNDESD).
The Marrakech Process was a global, informal multi- stakeholder process to promote sustainable consumption and production (SCP). It was a response to the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD), where governments recognized that SCP is an overarching objective of, and an
essential requirement for sustainable development.
One of the aims of the Marrakech Process was to provide inputs for the elaboration of the global 10-Year Framework of Programmes (10YFP) on SCP, which was adopted by Member States in 2012 at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
The pilot project is supported by UNEP in close cooperation with the Italian Ministry for the Environment, Land and Sea, UNESCO and other key partners such as the Partnership for Education and Research about Responsible Living (PERL) and Consumers International. The pilot project was implemented in Chile, Indonesia and Tanzania between 2011 and 2014. The objective of this pilot project was to support the mainstreaming of ESC and lifestyles in basic education systems as well as in informal education at national and local levels.
With the UN DESD ending in 2014, the challenge lies in exploring ways of further developing teaching
resources on sustainable development issues, accompanied by appropriate implementation means, including training. These guidelines seek to contribute to the implementation the UN DESD and the concerted efforts in changing lifestyles into ones that are more attuned to sustainable development. These guidelines support the internationally recognized notion that we need to foster – through education – the values, behaviour and lifestyles required for a sustainable future.
These national guidelines attempt to address the fact that fundamental changes are needed in our teaching and learning processes as a means of addressing some of the environmental challenges facing Tanzania and beyond. The guidelines address questions such as:
• What skills and perspectives are important for building a sustainable society?
• What shared values and principles should be at the heart of education and living?
• How can educators incorporate values for sustainable living into the teaching learning processes?
ESC consists of the acquisition of knowledge, attitudes and skills necessary for functioning in today’s society.
It is responsibility learning, which aims to contribute to the individual’s ability to manage his or her own life while participating in the stewardship of the global society’s collective life (UNEP, 2010c). ESC is essential to train responsible citizens and consumers:
individuals need to be aware of their fundamental rights and freedoms, appropriately informed to participate actively in the public debate and oriented towards a rational participation in the markets. ESC has become a core component of education for sustainable development (ESD) and global citizenship.
1.2 The objectives of the national guidelines on ESC
The National Guidelines on Education for Sustainable Consumption (ESC) for Tanzania aim at guiding and facilitating educators, civil society organizations, relevant government ministries departments and agencies and other relevant stakeholders in the acquisition and dissemination of knowledge and skills following the principles of moderation and sufficiency as means of promoting responsible citizenship and curbing social, economic and environmental imbalances. It is the first of its kind in Tanzania and it is aimed at bringing education for sustainable consumption (ESC) into classrooms and the lives of Tanzanians as a means of building a sustainable country and world.
The objectives of the national guidelines on ESC are to:
• Develop an increased understanding of sustainable consumption and how it can be integrated into basic education systems in Tanzania;
• Raise awareness on education in shaping values, attitudes and behaviours, affirm the critical role teachers have in this process, and recognize that new educational initiatives geared towards ESC can be successful if teachers are at the core of the implementation;
• Inspire and influence concrete behavioural changes needed to help address unsustainable consumption challenges while maximizing opportunities to help overcome them; and
• Promote sustainable consumption among individuals by enhancing their role as consumers and the importance of making informed decisions.
These guidelines advocate a pedagogical approach that is fundamentally different from the traditional teaching techniques that most Tanzanians were exposed to during their training years. The guidelines propose that teachers engage learners in a process where experience, reflection, critical analysis, tolerance, cooperation, compassion and respect are encouraged and developed. The proposed pedagogy is participatory and inclusive in nature, inter-disciplinary, learner-centred, contextualized and flexible, collaborative, transformative and view students as both learners and teachers.
1.3 The development of the national guidelines on ESC
Most recently, teachers in Tanzania have been seeking guidance, examples and materials to help them integrate environmental education (EE) into their teaching. As part of this pilot project and a first step in developing these guidelines on ESC, the National Environment Management Council (NEMC), with the support of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), conducted the following activities:
• Review and analysis of existing national policy frameworks and initiatives relevant to ESC,
sustainable development, sustainable consumption and production (SCP) and education strategies and/or plans, in order to identify and understand what forces and interactions would be most suitable to advance ESC in Tanzania. The objective was to define the best way to support integration of ESC into national policy frameworks.
• Multi-stakeholder national roundtable discussion, held in February 2012 in Dar-es-Salaam, with policy-makers education experts, as well as other stakeholders, to develop best approaches and tools for ESC, including the adaptation of UNEP’s Here and Now! ESC Recommendations and Guidelines adapted to national contexts, priorities and needs. This dialogue has provided inputs on how best to coordinate policy and implementation strategies.
This was preceded by the formation of a small ESC task force under the coordination of NEMC, consisting of key government focal points, civil society representatives and educators to develop an outline for the development of these ESC guidelines.
This exercise brought together key government focal points such as experienced teachers, teacher
educators and environmental practitioners from civil society who provided valuable inputs in developing the guidelines.
Between August and December 2013, these guidelines were tested in two educational zones (Central and Southern Highlands of Tanzania), where educators, school inspectors and civil society practitioners were oriented on ESC and how to integrate ESC into their teaching learning process and general activities of their institutions and organizations. This training was made possible through the support of the United Nations
Development Assistance Plan (UNDAP) in Tanzania.
The Ministry of Education and Vocational Training (MoEVT), in close collaboration with NEMC, facilitated this testing phase. Information related to this training and the feed back received from educators is
incorporated in the final chapter of this document . The approach in developing these guidelines mainly focuses on the Earth Charter Preamble, which states
“We must realize that when basic needs have been met, human development is primarily about being more, not having more” (Earth Charter Initiative, International Secretariat, August 2005). Educators must conceptualize how to bring the above message to learners who are growing up in a consumer-oriented, materialistic world, in which one’s very identity is defined not by who you are but by what you wear, what you eat, the house you live in, the car you drive, the holidays you take and so forth.
1.4 Understanding sustainable consumption and production and ESC
Sustainable consumption and production (SCP) has been discussed globally for a number of decades now. In 1987, the World Commission on Environment and Development stated that:
“sustainable development requires changes in values and attitudes towards environment and development – indeed, towards society and work at home, on farms and in factories…” (UN,1987).
Furthermore, the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) called upon governments to adopt national strategies for sustainable development. In 2002, the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation (JPOI), which was signed at the UN World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD), called upon governments to take action to
“change unsustainable patterns of consumption and production” (UNEP, 2010c).
The JPOI called for the development of a 10YFP
“to accelerate the shift towards sustainable consumption and production, promoting social and economic development within the carrying capacity of ecosystems, by de-linking economic growth from environmental degradation” (UNEP, 2011a). In this regard, the Marrakech Process, which is a response to the WSSD, had two main objectives:
• To promote the development and implementation of policies, programmes and projects on SCP, providing support for governments, the private sector and other actors in implementing SCP policies and activities at the national or regional levels; and
• To provide inputs for the elaboration of the 10YFP on SCP, a global framework of action to enhance international cooperation to accelerate the shift towards SCP in both developed and developing countries.
The 10YFP on SCP, which was adopted by world leaders in 2012, supports capacity building, and facilitates access to technical and financial assistance for developing countries for this shift. The 10YFP aims at developing, replicating and scaling up SCP and resource efficiency initiatives, at national and regional levels, decoupling environmental degradation and resource use from economic growth, and thus increasing the net contribution of economic activities to poverty eradication and social development. The 10YFP offers a new approach of implementing SCP activities through national focal points around the world.
What is sustainable consumption and production?
SCP, along with ESC, is based on sufficiency, which can be summarized into just four words, “Enough for everyone, forever.” These words capture the ideas of limited resources, responsible consumption, equality and equity, and a long-term perspective, all of which are important concepts for sustainable development. One can gain a deeper understanding of sustainable development through examining four main pillars: Respect and Care for the Community of Life, Ecological Integrity, Social and Economic Justice and Democracy, Non-violence and Peace.
Essentially, sustainable consumption (SC) forms the basis for changing human consumption behaviour. The 1994 Oslo Symposium on Sustainable Consumption defined sustainable consumption as “the use of goods and services that respond to basic needs and
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bring a better quality of life, while minimising the use of natural resources, toxic materials and emissions of waste and pollutants over the life cycle, so as not to jeopardise the needs of future generations”
(Norwegian Ministry of Environment, Oslo Symposium, 1994).
SCP, in this context, is a holistic perspective on how society and economy can be better aligned with the goals of sustainability. SCP is a cross- cutting issue and requires the active involvement of all stakeholders. SCP is not about consuming or producing more or less but rather consuming and producing differently and efficiently, as well as meeting basic needs (e.g. adequate food, clothing and shelter) and important needs (health, education) in a sustainable manner. SCP is about decoupling economic growth from environmental degradation.
SCP, which is about increasing resource efficiency and promoting sustainable lifestyles, also offers important contributions for poverty alleviation and the transition towards low-carbon and green economies.
ESC therefore goes hand in hand with promoting and encouraging SCP as it helps individuals develop knowledge and skills that enable them to become actors of change striving towards more SCP patterns and sustainable lifestyles. ESC is about providing citizens with the appropriate information and knowledge on the environmental and social impacts of their daily choices and actions, as well as workable solutions and alternatives.
ESC provides different aspects of education that respond to the needs of alleviating extreme poverty, hunger and diseases and improving life expectancy of its people.
In most cases, ESC is instrumental in integrating basic rights and freedoms in its implementation.
These rights include consumers’ rights, consumer education and the right to live in a safe and secure environment and aims at empowering communities to participate actively in the public debate and economy in an informed and ethical way (UNEP, 2010c). ESC examines humanity’s relationship with the natural world and the environment and assists in recognizing that humans, like all species, depend largely on a healthy environment for both survival and prosperity.
For sustainable consumption and lifestyles to become part of our cultures and societies, it is crucial for businesses and governments, among other key stakeholders, to develop and implement necessary policies, products, services and infrastructures that enable behaviour and lifestyle changes. Creating sustainable lifestyles will not be possible without the participation of individuals, policymakers, business leaders and entrepreneurs in different localities, among others.
1.5 The challenges of introducing ESC in Tanzania
ESC is interdisciplinary and aims at enhancing knowledge, skills and behavioural changes that encourage responsible consumption. This means, if you are to be a responsible consumer, you need to be an active, critical thinker, one with consumption morals and independent in your decisions. Currently, there are educational and moral challenges manifesting themselves in attitudes and actions in consumption, resource uses and management of waste.
Therefore, developing and introducing ESC that enhances attitudes and acquire knowledge, which form the basis for responsible choices, is important and requires teachers and teacher educators to be equipped with teaching techniques that foster sustainable consumption principles. This presupposes that, learners are able to assess the effects of their actions on others and the environment judged from their ethical consciousness. This teaching style can be challenging since it requires acquiring insights into our lifestyles and knowledge that develops attitudes, which form the basis for responsible choices.
In order to convey the values and guiding principles underlying sustainable development and consumption, one may need to adopt pedagogical approaches that have not been experienced during school days.
Experience-based learning activities can become a challenge when one is confined inside the classroom, where passive learning is often the norm. Educational systems in most countries including Tanzania
compartmentalize different subject areas making
‘interdisciplinary’ learning more difficult.
Assessment systems are often based on a competitive model with individual grades becoming the most important motivation. This makes introducing new concepts and topics like ESC difficult to teach, given the varying context, exposure to new techniques
Sustainable consumption and production
Sustainable lifestyles
Sustainable marketing
Sustainable
procurement Sustainable
transport Sustainable
resource management Waste
management
Design for sustainability
D4S
Cleaner production
& Resource Efficiency
Eco-labelling and certification
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and access to new teaching learning materials. To ensure quality delivery and changes in behaviour, introducing new concepts and initiatives need comprehensive training for teachers and educators as well as conducive learning environments including manageable number of learners. This can be a challenge in Tanzania, and the situation varies within urban and rural contexts, with rural areas being more disadvantaged.
While there are aspects of ESC topics and issues being taught in Tanzania, it is typically fragmented. When looking at the country’s education policy and basic education curricula, aspects of ESC can be identified in social and natural sciences. The national guidelines on ESC intends to bring together various initiatives and concepts of ESC in teaching learning processes explicitly for application in different teaching learning contexts in the country.
Where does one start?
Bringing ESC into the classroom requires one to go through three initial cognitive processes:
a. Examine how current consumption patterns and behaviours are threatening the welfare and security of our planet;
b. Reflect on how existing development models most typically ignore the impacts of unsustainable consumption on the planet and social relationships processes; and
c. Ask yourself the question, “What knowledge and skills will help to make ethical decisions that advance environmental management and conservation?
Once this cognitive assessment is done, one can then understand how ESC can be integrated into teaching learning process in a less challenging manner.
1.6 Tanzania’s National Action Plan/
Programme on Sustainable Consumption and Production
One of the key objectives of the Marrakech Task Force on Cooperation with Africa was to assist select African countries to develop their own programmes on SCP. The aim of this activity was to promote the further elaboration and implementation of the African 10-Year Framework of Programmes (10YFP) on SCP at the national levels. Africa was the first region to have developed and launched its own 10YFP in 2005.
Tanzania was selected as a pilot country for the development of a country-level national programme on SCP, which was facilitated by the Cleaner
Production Centre of Tanzania (CPCT) and supported by UNEP (CPCT, 2007). In 2008, Tanzania developed its National Programme on SCP, or National Action Plan on SCP (2008-2017), based on the National Strategy for Growth and Poverty Reduction (UNEP, 2012). This National Action Plan focuses on the four thematic areas of the African 10YFP, namely energy efficiency, water and sanitation, habitat and urban sustainable development, industrial development, with education for SCP as a cross-cutting area or theme.
The planned pilot projects of the National Action Plan are:
• Energy efficiency: demand-side management on energy use.
• Water and sanitation: demand-side management on water use and water harvesting.
• Habitat and urban sustainable development:
integrated solid waste management in urban areas;
sustainable building and construction; cleaner city – vehicular emissions.
• Industrial development: sustainable
manufacturing; sustainable tourism; sustainable agriculture.
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Some activities have already been implemented as part of this SCP programme, including:
• A national awareness-raising seminar for Members of Parliament showing the value of mainstreaming SCP in national development policies and
strategies; a media roundtable discussion and campaign was held to promote awareness on key issues in the national action plan and training for journalists to become SCP ambassadors. The Journalists Environmental Association of Tanzania has identified SCP as one of its priority areas in their environmental publications.
• The establishment of SCP clubs in primary schools in partnership with the non-governmental organization Nature for Kids, which is discussed in further detail in the next chapter.
In 2012, some key lessons learned from the ongoing implementation of this national SCP programme were identified. These include:
• The need to involve and educate children on SCP helps to develop their mindsets on sustainable consumption issues.
• The need to implement projects that have the potential to produce quick results that can easily secure financial resources and that can effectively demonstrate the benefits of SCP are crucial.
• The importance of adequately communicating with and involving stakeholders in the implementation process, which is crucial in ensuring the success of this national programme.
• The need to develop and use of entertaining films and songs in Swahili, Tanzania’s national language, on SCP, which have proven to be effective for educating children about SCP.
1.7 Education for SCP in Tanzania
The Government of Tanzania is increasingly aware of the urgency of and need to raise awareness among its citizens about SCP. This is one of the reasons that education for SCP has been identified as the cross- cutting area for Tanzania’s National Action Plan/
Programme on SCP. The main objectives of the education for SCP project, as noted in Tanzania’s National Programme on SCP, are to educate the general public and to develop a new culture that is sensitive to and able to practically apply the principles of SCP for the benefit of current and future generations (CPCT, 2007). The following activities, as noted in Project Concept Note 7 on education for SCP, were selected and included in the National Programme on SCP developed by CPCT:
• Development of locally adopted educational materials on SCP;
• Dissemination of educational materials amongst primary and secondary school students;
• Facilitate the establishment of SCP clubs in schools;
and
• Promote general public awareness through media programmes and public events.
The main outcomes of these activities on education for SCP are increased public awareness on SCP issues, the creation of a new, young generation that can serve as agents of change within society and the development of a new SCP culture nationally. Education for SCP targets the general public, specifically primary and secondary schools, media professionals, NGOs as well as community-based organizations (CBOs).
In implementing these activities, CPCT, as the main coordinator, has continually worked with other
stakeholders including NEMC, the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training, Local Government Authorities, environmental NGOs as well as CBOs. Measuring progress and success on education for SCP activities calls for identifying verifiable indicators, which in this case are: the number of students and members of the public reached by these activities, the number of SCP clubs established, as well as the number of SCP-related activities undertaken.
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2.0 CONTEXTUALIZING EDUCATION FOR SUSTAINABLE CONSUMPTION (ESC)
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2.1 ESC topics, issues, learning outcomes and competencies
Education is a prerequisite for promoting behavioural changes and providing citizens with key competences needed in today’s society. Moving towards the goal of sustainability requires fundamental changes in human attitudes and behaviour. This direction is critically dependent on education and public awareness in the spirit of exploration and experimentation with diverse partners. ESC, which is an integral component of education for sustainable development (ESD), is essential for learning how to make lifestyle choices by seeking creative solutions and engaging in policy debates, which can change our approach and behaviour towards sustainability.
ESC incorporates the approach for sustainability inherited in ESD, which is recognized as a process to engender a culture that is respectful to the core principles of sustainable development and an important social process. UNESCO defines ESD in three parts:
• Education that enables people to foresee, face up to and solve the problems that threaten life on our planet.
• Education that disseminates the values and principles that are the basis of sustainable development (intergenerational equity, gender parity, social tolerance, poverty reduction, environmental protection and restoration, natural resource conservation, and just and peaceful societies).
• Lastly, education that highlights the complexity and interdependence of three spheres, the environment, society – broadly defined to include culture – and the economy (UNESCO, 2005: 5).
These guidelines assist in reinforcing the urgent commitment made during the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) where Agenda 21 was initiated and other declarations, emphasizing the importance of education in achieving a sustainable future.
Incorporating ESC in Tanzania’s basic education systems marks the turning point for changing resource management and consumption patterns. ESC is also a significant dimension in implementing ESD and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in Tanzania’s basic education systems. ESD contributes to making citizens better prepared to face the challenges of the present and future and equipping decision-makers with the necessary information, which will allow them to act responsibly to create viable lifestyles and communities. ESD enhances five fundamental learning outcomes: learning to know, learning to do, learning to be, learning to live together, and learning to transform oneself and society.
Education is an important mechanism to solve present and continuing patterns of unsustainable consumption.
Consumption involves lifestyles, which are usually regarded as personal behaviour, but from a sustainable development point of view, lifestyles are also seen as social behaviour. Sustainable consumption includes a transformation of lifestyles that can significantly affect social production practices and the relevant policy formulation. Some social behaviour and aspects of lifestyles may be sustainable in some societies, but there is a pressing need to examine and determine what traditional customs are valuable for a sustainable future.
The National Guidelines on ESC will help Tanzanians, including individuals and social groups, to develop the following:
a. Awareness and sensitivity to the consumption and production patterns and their related problems.
b. Basic knowledge and understanding of the total environment, its associated problems and humanity’s critically responsible presence and its role.
c. Attitudes, social values, strong feelings of concern for the environment and the motivation for actively participating in protection and improvement of the environment.
d. Skills to solve environmental problems.
e. Abilities to evaluate environmental measures and education programmes in terms of ecological, political, economic, social, aesthetic and educational factors.
f. Action competencies to facilitate and take action under different contexts.
g. Active participation and a sense of responsibility and urgency regarding sustainable consumption to ensure appropriate action to solve problems arising from unsustainable consumption lifestyles.
ESC consists of many topics and issues. Table 1 presents the general themes, which learners should have knowledge of. It is adapted from the Consumer Citizenship Network Guidelines vol.1 (2005).
Incorporating ESC into the formal education curriculum requires curriculum developers and educational practitioners to identify opportunities (subjects, activities, lesson plans) where ESC learning outcomes and competencies can be integrated into teaching.
In this learning process, the content is driven by an output measure (outcomes/competencies) rather than
Life quality Lifestyles
Values, needs, desires History of social and economic development
Human rights, ethical codes and spiritual principles History of consumption
Sufficiency and moderation Present social conditions
Sustainable development Present consumption patterns
Sustainable consumption The symbolic roles of consumption
The role of the family Alternative lifestyles
Resources Economics
Natural Economic models and practice
Human Production and trade
Financial Multinational companies
Technological Social responsibility
Organizational Savings, loans, investments
Interrelatedness of systems and processes Financial services and instruments
Balances and imbalances E-commerce
Consumption and the environment Consumer rights and responsibilities
Product life cycles and traceability Laws and norms
Packaging Agreements and contracts
Recycling, reusing, repairing products Consumer protection policies
Energy Transparency/accountability
Housing Complaints, redress, replacement, reimbursement
Transportation Conflict resolution
Communication Entertainment Tourism
Climate, soil and water protection Biodiversity
Table 1: ESC topics and issues
an input measure (textbook/topics). The outcomes and competencies become the driver and the textbook becomes their vehicle. Therefore, training and orientation on ESC learning outcomes and competencies is crucial for educators to comprehend how ESC can be integrated into their work.
ESC encompasses the following generic competencies (UNEP, 2010c):
• Appreciation of nature and of human diversity and multiculturalism
• Concern for justice, peace and cooperation
• Self-awareness
• Concern for quality
• Appreciation of the interrelatedness of individuals and society
• Capacity for empathy/compassion
• Ability to make critical, reflected decisions
• Ability to apply knowledge in practice
• Ability to cope with one’s emotions
• Information management skills
• Capacity for generating new ideas
• Capacity to adapt to new situations
• Willingness and ability to be of service to others
• Ability to recognize global perspectives.
ESC subject specific competencies include the development of the following:
1. Ability to define what one considers to be a good quality of life and to be able to identify the values upon which this is based.
2. Realization of the complexity and often
controversial nature of sustainable consumption issues.
3. Insight into how individual lifestyle choices influence social, economic and environmental development.
4. Ability to acquire, assess and use information on the consequences of consumption especially on the environment.
5. Knowledge of consumer rights and central consumer protection laws.
6. Basic knowledge of the market system and the role of business.
7. Knowledge of how the production processes are linked to the consumption system
8. Basic knowledge of the interaction of pricing mechanisms with the consumer’s attitudes and behaviour.
9. Insight into the practicalities of both the supply and demand sides of production and consumption and their outside-of-the-market relationships to community development.
10. Awareness of a commodity’s intangible and symbolic characteristics.
21 Waste management
Ecological impact
Information management Health and safety
Digital literacy Food safety
Media literacy Gene-modified organisms
Advertising and persuasion Diet and nutrition
Labelling Ecological, organic food
Peer pressure Additives
Data-based information systems Lifestyle illnesses and epidemics
Consumer support agencies HIV/AIDS
Social services Product safety
Labelling and quality control
Change management Global awareness
Creativity and innovation Global interdependence
Future perspectives Energy, trade, commerce, agriculture, land use
Active citizenship Poverty
Stakeholder involvement Human rights
Community service Labour rights
Crime
Precautionary principle Fair trade
Millennium Goals World citizenship
11. Ability to recognize, decode and reflect critically upon messages from the media and the market.
12. Knowledge of social networks that shaping consumption patterns (e.g. peer pressure) 13. Consciousness of civil society’s power to initiate
alternative ways of thinking and acting.
14. Individual and collective understanding of consumer social responsibility in relation to the corporate social responsibility.
15. Ability to manage personal finances (budgeting, saving, investing, taxes and fees)
16. Ability to manage physical resources (effective control,maintenance, reuse and replacement).
17. Knowledge of conflict resolution in general and in particular in relation to consumer related situations such as product safety, liability, compensation, redress and restitution
18. Ability not only to envision alternative futures but also to create reasonable paths of action leading to these.
2.2 The backbone of ESC: environmental education and consumer education
ESC consists of core elements of resource efficiency and SCP, which call for “doing more and better with less,” increasing net welfare gains from economic activities by reducing resource use, degradation and pollution along the whole production lifecycle, while improving the quality of life for all. This contributes to delivering more goods and services in a cleaner and safer way, using less materials and energy, and ensuring that basic needs are met using fewer resources while valuing the ecological carrying capacity.
ESC can help to develop a solid foundation for our lifestyle choices, which play a significant key role in social, economic and cultural development of our communities. ESC also helps us better understand how unsustainable consumption patterns affect the environment and contribute to climate change, biodiversity loss, pollution, land degradation and inequality among others. We are just beginning to see a growing demand of policy tools for sustainable development, but more needs to be done if we are to achieve the anticipated sustainable lifestyles. If we create a need for sustainable lifestyles, then policy will be shaped quickly to meet it.
Nowadays, our communities are exposed to images and messages that promote unbridled consumption, which promises happiness. These messages do not mention the impact of unsustainable consumption on the environment, causing challenges like water shortages, food insecurity and climate change.
Consumer education empowers the community to better understand and change their behaviours and adopt sustainable lifestyles, all of which improves civic behaviour of our communities.
Environmental education (EE) and consumer education are at the core of ESC implementation. Both EE and
consumer education are considered as key cross- curricular themes for student learning. The important role of education as one of the most powerful tools for making right and responsible choices in our daily lives has been internationally recognized since the 1970s. In 1972, the UN Conference on the Human Environment in Stockholm contributed to the development of the International Environmental Education Programme (IEEP). The IEEP called for educational policies that assist individuals to adjust their own priorities and assume a personal and individualized global ethic that would reflect in their daily behaviour.
In 1985, the UN adopted the declaration of consumer rights confirming the importance of consumer education. The 1992 Rio Action Plan focused on ESD through its Agenda 21 programme. Additionally, holistic and integrated educational approaches were promoted as part of the Millennium Development Goals in 2000. The launch of the UNDESD in 2005 marked a turning point as the Decade’s socio-
economic implications, and environmental and cultural connections made it an undertaking that potentially touches on all aspects of life (UNEP, 2010c). The DESD recognizes that achieving sustainable consumption patterns involves both businesses and governments to provide clear and reliable information to consumers to help them make environmentally and ethically sound decisions and education is critical in achieving this. ESC in particular, is geared towards enabling learners to make informed and responsible decisions and actions, now and in the future (UNEP, 2010c).
For Tanzania, EE is defined as a “life-long process whereby individuals and the whole Tanzanian society acquire knowledge, develop ethics and become environmentally aware/ conscious, responsive and acquire relevant skills in identifying, managing, monitoring, evaluating and solving environmental issues and problems” (NEMC, 2005).
Consumer education is known as the process of supporting individuals to become more skilled, literate and responsible as consumers. It helps people to improve their understanding of goods and services and develop the skills and confidence to become more aware of their rights in the consumer market, make better informed choices and know where to go for help (European Commission, 2006).
Consumers are the largest economic group affecting and affected by almost every public and private economic decision. Consumers are the only important group that is not effectively organized, whose views may not heard in most decisions. Consumers therefore need specific education, such as consumer education and ESC, to manage their lifestyles and expectations.
Educated and informed consumers have the power to demand environmentally-friendly products through their purchasing decisions and the capacity to
influence a range of factors including air pollution, waste generation and management and energy conservation through lifestyle decisions if they have right information.
Consumer education is critical as it develops and enhances skills and knowledge that help individuals make informed and well-reasoned decisions that take societal values into account. Consumer education can develop critical thinking and raise awareness, which enable consumers to become more pro-active. It is also an important vehicle for building the confidence that consumers need to operate in increasingly complex markets.
Today, in Tanzania, consumer education covers more diverse areas than in the past. It now covers consumer rights and obligations, personal finance, sustainable consumption, and digital media and technology.
Such education should be viewed as a long-term and continuous process that develops better decision- making and skills throughout the lives of consumers.
A 2011-2012 study by EWURA Consumer Consultative Council, a Tanzanian public institution that protects and safeguards the interest of consumers of energy and water services, reveals the typical characteristics of a Tanzanian consumer including:
• Low reading culture;
• Passive;
• Price sensitive;
• Functionally illiterate;
• Weak bargaining power;
• Disorganized;
• Easy to be taken for a ride;
• Submissive;
• Has little knowledge about his/her rights and ways to demand the same.
Developing and implementing ESC in Tanzania calls for policymakers and educators to understand such characteristics about Tanzanian consumers and learners so that ESC reflects and addresses national contexts, priorities and needs, which has been well- articulated in various national documents and programmes on SCP.
People are diverse and complicated, even when it comes to their lifestyles. It takes time and effort to understand and build the required relationships, expertise and skills to make sustainable lifestyles happen. These ESC guidelines seek to enhance these interdependencies to achieve the desired outcomes for a more sustainable Tanzania. There are many projects throughout the country carried out by government, civil society organizations, the private sector and the media that are oriented towards raising environmental awareness, some of which include promoting sustainable consumption. Such projects are good avenues to disseminate ESC and can be used
as an arena to learn from and replicate successful and suitable initiatives, thereby enhancing cooperation.
2.3 ESC origins and aims
The meaning and contexts of consumption Globally, a substantial evidence base has been built to inform policy decisions to support a shift towards more sustainable consumption patterns. Firstly, there is a considerable gap – the so called ‘value-action gap’
– between people’s attitudes, which are often pro- environmental, and their everyday behaviours.
Secondly, consumer goods and services can play more than a functional role in people’s lives. Cars, houses, fashion, gifts, trophies, photographs and music also play vital roles. Advertising promotes lifestyles, celebrity and aspirations that can inform consumption.
Thirdly, people often find themselves ‘locked in’
consumption patterns that are unsustainable. This is reflected by renewed political commitment on global programmes on education and lifestyles.
Modern consumption theory assumes that, rational consumers make choices that are well- informed, far- sighted, and prudent. But in reality, most Tanzanian consumers reveal their preferences by means of market choices, which correspond to their well- being (‘welfare’). An ‘invisible hand’ then acts to aggregate individual choices in an effort to maximize society’s economic welfare mainly through prices and advertisements.
There are four central areas of life where consumers have aspirations for an improved quality of life that can coincide with sustainable consumption choices where these choices are supported by appropriate infrastructure and incentives:
• Housekeeping: how we run our homes;
• Food: the food we eat;
• Mobility: how we get around (e.g. commuting); and
• Leisure and entertainment: e.g. holiday travel.
Choice editing or choice influencing
One of the features of shopping today is the immense range of options available in Tanzania, which is
experiencing an influx of imported products, particularly from emerging economies like China, Indonesia
and Thailand. Customers may not be able to assess the qualities of each product individually but rely on
‘shortcuts’ such as price, branding, promotions, shelf position and packaging and labelling to aid their choice.
Choice editing or choice influencing is a situation where governments or institutions with legal powers influence choices made by consumers. In Tanzania, the Tanzania Bureau of Standards (TBS) and Tanzania Food and Drug Authority (TFDA) are government institutions that monitor and remove materials or products with low standards or which are fake. These institutions can
also promote materials, which are environmentally friendly and efficient like energy-efficient light bulbs.
Where environmental information and product labelling is unreliable or scarce such as in Tanzania, much of the responsibility of choosing rests consumers themselves and is much influenced by prices.
2.4 The importance of ESC in combatting poverty in developing countries
The world is facing numerous environmental
problems and challenges, ranging from environmental degradation, climate change and trans-boundary pollution many of which are driven by increasing population and consumption patterns, to poverty, particularly in developing countries. These problems and challenges are some of the main factors that contribute to the need for urgent application of sustainable consumption patterns.
The 1998 Human Development Report entitled Consumption for Human Development, which examined consumption from the perspective of human development, identifies four main principles of sustainable consumption (UNDP, 1998):
• Shared – Ensuring basic needs for all;
• Strengthening – Building human capabilities;
• Socially responsible – So consumption by a few people does not compromise the wellbeing of others; and
• Sustainable – Without mortgaging the choices of future generations.
Despite diverse environmental education awareness and many initiatives on environmental conservation and currently SCP, there is still a lack of knowledge and experience on how can we educate individuals on sustainable consumption. Many current policies lack clear identification of mechanisms and strategies to promote responsible consumer behaviour.
The importance of ESC, through its foundation on SCP, in combatting poverty in Tanzania and other
developing countries is undeniable. The way of production and consumption can add enormous pressure on the natural resources, deplete raw materials and increase pollution around the world.
Since most poor people mainly depend on these raw materials for their livelihoods, adopting SCP patterns, de-coupling and leapfrogging are crucial in combatting poverty. Through ESC, students can learn about these issues and more, including the interconnectedness between our lifestyles and the environment and society,in addition to other important poverty related issues and they could be tackled through sustainable consumption. ESC has the ability to shape current and future generations, particularly youth, to develop alternative paths for development and more efficient and simpler ways of living in balance with our communities and nature.Through ESC, learners are equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge needed to function in today’s changing society and in promoting sustainable lifestyles,
which are instruments for development that will have positive impacts on the environment, societies and communities, among others.
2.5 The importance of developing and implementing ESC in Tanzania
Tanzania is facing an unprecedented rise in the use of finite, non-renewable resources and the transformation of ecosystems into cultivated land or built
environment. There is also an increase of using nature as a sink for residuals of expanding unsustainable consumption. Such patterns need robust national initiatives like ESC to enable communities to meet their basic needs and provide a better quality of life, while enhancing sustainable consumption behaviours among Tanzanians.
Most Tanzanian communities depend on natural resources and the environment to enhance economic development and in meeting their basic needs like adequate food, clothing and shelter and important needs such as health services and education. These communities are often vulnerable to poverty and environmental challenges such as pollution, natural disasters, environmental degradation and climate change, among others.
The growing demand for sustainable consumption and production provides an opportunity to increase income, alleviate poverty and improve health through improved consumption, particularly of basic needs.
This can be nourished through improving resource efficiency by bypassing inefficient practices and behaviours, reducing unnecessary expenses, waste and unsustainable consumption. All these issues are integrated in ESC, which essentially educates learners about how to meet human needs in a sustainable manner.
ESC teaches learners about the need to develop and use more efficient goods and services and the
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